


Pillow Talk

by dizzy



Category: Farscape RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-09
Updated: 2010-12-09
Packaged: 2017-10-13 14:27:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/138369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claudia is very, very tired. Set early season one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pillow Talk

Claudia has never been more tired in her life.

She spends her days at a Pitch Black location shoot. Her drive from one set to another seems longer than it should. There's red dirt clinging to her arms, her neck, smeared and dried in a thin layer where sweat has beaded her hairline, where the breeze stirred up the dust.

She pulls into the parking lot by the studio that Farscape is filmed at and she knows she needs to get up, get into the studio, into the makeup chair and costume, let them pluck and paint and prod at her until she is this alien creature, but she steals a moment for herself regardless. She breathes in deep and tries not to choke, tries not to cry at the all over ache of exhaustion and sense of being overwhelmed that seems to be her constant companion.

She's working. This is the dream, the life an actor craves. She wishes she had enough energy to enjoy it.

She tells herself that soon it'll be better. The movie will wrap, and this time when one project is over she won't have that stress of wondering when the next one will come along. The next one is already here.

A knock at the window breaks her out of her haze. She jumps and cries out, startled.

"Okay in there?" Ben asks. She raises an only slightly trembling hand to open the door. He's leaning on her car, looking down at her with a slightly confused, concerned smile. "Claud?"

"Fine," she says, and she sounds like herself, which is good. She doesn't sound like she was about to cry, which is better. Somehow, though, she still has the embarrassing feeling that he can see everything she's feeling plastered across her face. She doesn't want that. She needs to prove that she can handle this. She swings her feet out to touch the ground but stays sitting. He still looks like he's expecting an answer. "I'm just..."

"Tired," he fills in. He reaches down and holds out a hand and helps her out. Once she's on her feet, he lets go and steps back. "You do look a little run ragged."

"Well, you're a charmer," she jokes, falling into step beside him. He bumps his shoulder against hers and grins.

"How long have you been awake?" He asks, glancing at her curiously.

She struggles to do the math. "About two days."

He winces.

Inside, she dozes while her makeup is applied, sleepwalks through the costume change. Everything is still new here, things cobbled together, everything makeshift. They keep telling her they'll get trailers soon, and though outwardly she's all smiles and acceptance, she wound give anything for a place to rest her head and nap.

Ben calls her name, and she turns to see what he wants. He has something in his hand and it doesn't register until he's tossing it to her. She catches it on instinct, and her hands are full of something soft and comfortable.

It's a pillow.

She looks at him, not entirely comprehending what she's to do with it.

He nods toward the edge of set, an empty space where no cameras will be aimed for the scenes they're shooting tonight. When she doesn't make a move, he points. "Trust me. You'll feel better. I've got kids. I know the wonders of the almighty naptime. I'll wake you up when they're close to done so we can run lines."

She's almost embarrassingly touched, and she knows that's probably because of how tired she is, too. The position she gets into, halfway sitting and halfway slouching with the pillow shoved against the wall, is anything but comfortable. She's still asleep within a minute.


End file.
